Taylor Swift sparks backlash for 'English teacher' comment

Taylor Swift has been called the “English teacher” within the Swiftie fandom for a long time, because of her focus on lyricism and use of words which fans joked they had to use a dictionary for.

The 35-year-old pop superstar played into the joke and referred to herself as “your English teacher” in her engagement announcement post, writing, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

Although the Anti-Hero hitmaker’s post was well-received by the majority of her followers, some saw a problem with her comparison of herself to an English teacher and that ignited a debate on social media.

One critic quoted a Substack article on the topic on Reddit, writing, “she enjoys the status of word-smithing ‘mastermind’ that has been bestowed on her, but doesn’t seem to be all that interested in actual literature.”

While another wrote, “Seriously, I’d believe her schtick more if she showed regular proof of her enjoying reading. Favorite books, and not just what’s popular at that current time so she can bank off turning it into a song for the movie. Favorite authors, not just the obvious and popular ones she had to learn about in high school…That girl doesn’t LIKE reading yet is calling herself an English teacher?”

A third joked, “Taylor is the kind of poet that writes: Live, Laugh, Love.”

While others pointed out the economic disparity between the class teachers belong to, and the millions of worth Swift boasts of.

However, the Grammy winner’s defenders called the caption a fun jest, and a running joke in the Swiftie community which should not be dissected.

The Lover singer herself has not engaged with any commentary regarding the drama.